Secrets Revealed
by PixieChick2
Summary: Alex gets caught in the act... Everyone gets a little loopy and has a night of fun. Strangers threaten to reveal the pod squad's secret. This is season 2 before Alex died and Tess became an evil youknowwhat. THIS IS HUMOROUS FICTION but stays true to the


It had been a week since the fiasco of graduation and everyone had started a new life in a new place. At this point in time, the pod squad and their human counterparts were just settling down. Well, all except for Liz and Max who were still on their honeymoon. With their low budget, they couldn't afford going to some ultra-classy and expensive love shack. Instead, they had to limit their enjoyment to a national park for some peace and quiet.

While back home, Isabel moped around her apartment, longing to see her Jesse again. Yes, she knew in her heart that she had done the right thing by letting him go. But, God, she loved him. After everything that had happened in the past year and a half, she had lost three boyfriends, two of whom were now six feet under.

Maria, on the other hand, missed her mom the most. Over the past 10 years, she had come to despise her father. After all, he had walked out on she and her mother when Maria was only a little girl. Maria looked at herself in the mirror and saw that she had become him. She had walked out on her mother, just as he had done to her. But to put all that behind, she and Michael were in their own world.

They had just gotten back together and were making up for lost time. Michael had it the easiest when it came to leaving Roswell. After all, he never really had any family to miss. Well, there was Hank, but no one, not even Michael, would ever consider him a part of the family. In this case, he was the lucky one. There was nothing there to hold him back from leaving. This was his time to shine, his time to rise above and become truly independent. He could now start over.

Then there was Kyle, who was just as miserable as Isabel. All he had was his father, and now he left him all alone in that tourist-trap of a city called Roswell. Lately, Kyle had been blaming himself for everything. First, it was for trying to expose the aliens. Then it was for acting like a buffoon for having to keep their secret. And to top it all off, he helped Tess with the murder of one of his closest friends. Now he had left his father, just like his mother had done.

"Kyle, you okay?" Came a soft, loving voice.

"Yeah, you know--just thinking about things." He said, looking away from the glowing emerald eyes that searched for his chocolate brown ones.

"You're wondering if we did the right thing, aren't you?" Maria said, interrupting his thoughts. "Because I know that I have been asking myself that question daily. You know, I really need someone to talk to, and you do too. You know how Michael is. He just isn't the emotional support kinda guy. And with Liz gone...I--I." Maria couldn't finish her sentence, for she was pulled into a tight embrace from Kyle. From a distance, it would look as though they were "together," but lately they had come to brother-sister terms. After all, Jim was planning on proposing to Amy before they left. If he still went through with it, he and Maria would be stepbrother and sister.

"Thanks, I needed that."

"Me too, little sis." Kyle laughed as he gave Maria a noogie.

"Don't start with me!"

"Okay, you're right, I was wondering if we did the right thing. You know... leaving." Kyle blurted out. Maria decided to lighten the mood.

"You know, there is a way for you to still keep in contact with your father." Maria said as she smiled sardonically.

"Oh, really! How would that be, my dear Watson?"

"You see, I've heard of this great invention. It's called a telephone and, well, you can call people up and have a nice long conversation. How 'bout it?"

Kyle smacked her on the head lightly.

"Smart a" Maria giggled.

"But wouldn't they track us down? I mean I don't want anything to happen to my dad or to be the one to lead the government right to us."

"Can't trace you if they don't know where you are. Plus, everyone thinks we're dead." she exclaimed.

"Well I guess it would be okay. But I think I better wait 'til Max and Liz come back first."

"Whatever you say, Buddha boy!" Maria stated as she stood up and flipped her hair behind her shoulder. "I'd love to stay and chat but if I'm gone too long with no word to Michael, he gets a little crazy. Let me know if you want to join me for facials to exfoliate yourself. After all, real men aren't afraid to get in touch with their feminine side." Maria winked and blew Kyle an air kiss.

"Catch ya later, Bro! Oh, that sounds weird."

"Well, see ya! I may take you up on that offer. I must find a way to shrink my pores! They are just dreadful." Kyle mocked.

"You know, I wouldn't plan on Liz and Max coming home any time soon." Maria quirked.

"And why is that, little lady?"

"Well, they are on their honeymoon! When they get home, they will probably say 'hello' and bolt straight to the bedroom for a little act entitled the sexcapades."

"Bye Maria!" Kyle said, annoyed. He was mad that he hadn't gotten any in a while.

"Bye."

"Knock, knock! I'm home." Maria said as she entered her psychedelic living room. Michael and Maria had thought long and hard about their living arrangements. They decided to give it a whirl and try sharing a home. After all, there was no one else either one of them would want to spend their lives with more than with each other. But, unlike Max and Liz, they just weren't ready for marriage. Although they believed they were soul mates, neither one would admit it. As Maria walked into her apartment she felt a cold shiver shoot up her spine. When she was fully in the room and had total sight, she couldn't believe it...everything was in complete...order!

"Surprise!" Michael shouted from around the corner. He had cleaned and scrubbed their new place down with his bare hands...no powers…until it sparkled and shined like Maria's smile.

"Michael, it's gorgeous. I didn't think you knew the meaning of the word clean." Michael walked behind her and put his arms around her and whispered into her ear.

"Yeah, well you know I say a clean girl is a sexy girl." At that moment in time, Maria got a flash from Michael.

He was on Courtney's bed kissing her and telling her the same thing

She tried to ignore it, after all Michael had explained her that everything he did was just to get information and that he would never do anything again, unless it was another life or death situation. Maria popped back into reality when she noticed he was still speaking.

"So I guess the same goes for an apartment, a clean place is a sexy place. I feel sexy, do you?" Maria smiled after Michael finished his last word and tightened his grip on her.

"You know I invited Kyle and Isabel over tonight for dinner and we're going to rent a movie."

"If we must. Well I guess I'll get started on dinner then." Michael said as he went into the kitchen.

"I'll help you then." Maria started toward the kitchen, but Michael stopped her half way there.

"Oh no you don't. You know I love you, but you can't cook."

"But...fine! Just remember there are going to be people here who don't like their food marinated in Tabasco sauce!" With that, Maria stormed off to the shower. She was enraged to find out that Michael had squeezed out all of her "Strawberry Eruption" body wash in the toilet and replaced it with 'Manly Man' body scrub.

Isabel and Kyle had also decided to share an apartment. They, unlike Maria and Michael, were not romantically involved. They each had their own room, with locks on each door. They even had their own bathrooms.

"Kyle are you almost ready? We're supposed to go over to Maria and Michael's for dinner, remember?" Isabel called from outside his bathroom. There was no answer.

"Isabel!"called a shaky voice from the bathroom.

"What is it? Kyle, is something wrong? Or maybe you are having a little too much fun in there!"

"No! I am fine. Just a touch of the flu. I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute!"

"Fine! Well, don't puke all over the bathroom, coz I'm not cleaning it up."

Inside the bathroom

"Oh, God what is happening to me?" Kyle asked himself as he looked into the mirror to get a good look at his back that had a vibrant tattoo of an alien symbol on it. It was the shape that was on the cover of that alien book. The tattoo started to glow a deep sea green. He patched it up as if it were a mere wound and walked out of the bathroom as if nothing had happened.

"Okay Isabel, let's get the show on the road." He and Isabel walked out of the apartment door and down the hall to Michael and Maria's place. Yes, they live in the same apartment complex. It was a decent building, nothing like Michael's old one, thank God. When Max and Liz came home, they also would live in the same building, but on the first floor. The former Antarian princess and her Buddhist friend lived on the fourth, which had the best view of the city.

After dinner, everyone was settled in the living room for a movie.

"Okay everyone ready? Michael, what movie did you pick out?" Maria was a little afraid to ask because she knew Michael and hoped to God it wasn't some action film with gun-fire, death, and all that macho jazz.

"I thought you were supposed to pick up the movie."

"What?" But before Maria had the chance to kill or just lecture him to death, Isabel interrupted.

"Maria relax, as much as we all love to go through one of your and Michael's love spats, I brought a movie." She held it up for everyone to see.

"How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days"

"No way! That's a chick flick!" both Kyle and Michael yelled. "If you make us watch that, you'll lose us both in 10 minutes!"

"Oh it's okay, there's a shower scene in it." Isabel knew how to turn Kyle around.

"I'll get the popcorn!"

"Well I think I just go right to bed, you know big day tomorrow with work and all."

"Oh, no you don't Mikey G. If you love me, you'll watch this movie with me and everyone else." Maria batted her eyelashes.

"Man, you're whipped, but look at the bright side there's still going to be that shower scene." commented Kyle.

"What was that Kyle? What do you think you are trying to do pollute my already perverted lover boy's mind?" Maria snarled.

Everyone was really getting into the movie. Then the shower scene came.

"Hallelujah! I was beginning to think that I was gay." But before Kyle could continue, Isabel slapped him and shot an evil glare. If sitting in the right spot and close enough, you could see the drool hanging out of Kyle's mouth as the movie went on.

"Michael, don't I have better legs than she does?" Maria whined impatiently.

Isabel hummed the theme to Jeopardy.

"Well, your legs are hairier." Michael whispered under his breath. Maria hit him hard but he still babbled on since he enjoyed the attention he was gaining.

"Maybe you should have used wax to make 'em smooth as silk." quirked Iz.

Kyle just sat there smiling like a Fat kid in a candy store.

At the end of the movie the girls had already gone through a box of tissues.

"Oh that was the sweetest thing!" Isabel cracked out.

"I know! The way he sang to her was just darling."

"Michael why don't you ever sing to me?" Maria whimpered.

"What the hell is this, 20 questions? Are you PMS-ing?" Michael snapped back.

"Why, you need some of my Midol?" Maria reached for her purse. "EXTRA STRENGTH!"

"Well there's our cue to leave, Iz. You ready? Because we really should be heading back to our own place..." Kyle wasn't able to finish his sentence because he fainted. Everyone ran to his side.

"Oh my god what's wrong with him? Isabel, Michael! Do something." Maria was starting to panic and when she started to panic it wasn't pretty. Her heart would beat cut-time and she'd start talking quickly, at warp speed, faster than usual and not even Liz could understand her when it came to that point.

"Wait, there's something glowing on his back. Isabel you gotta see this."

Michael removed his shirt saw a bandage. He removed it as well to reveal this glowing symbol that was so familiar.

"Wow, where's Max when you need him?" Isabel was starting to freak out. The last time something like this happened, Michael went nuts and almost killed them all. But this was Kyle… he would never hurt them. Would he? No he wouldn't, couldn't For goodness sake, he prayed to that fat, bald little man named Buddha. It was then that Michael realized he was the only one thinking clearly at the moment. He had to take control of this situation.

"Come on girls, snap out of it. Let's get him in the tub. Maria, baby. Go get some ice . I just felt Kyle's forehead and he's burning up." Maria nodded and ran out of the apartment. Michael knew that she was about to crack so he had to get her out of there. Plus, if this was what he suspected and Kyle was going to act the way he had, then he wanted to get her out of harm's way.

Twenty minutes later Maria showed back up with the ice, 30 pounds of it.

"Hey I'm back, I'm going to need your help, there's a lot of ice." Maria yelled from the door closing it with her foot.

Inside the bathroom

Isabel started to get up to help Maria. But Michel stopped her.

"You stay here with him, Iz. I'll help Maria. Besides, I think he likes you better than me."

Outside in the kitchen

"Here, give me that." Michael took one heavy bag from Maria.

"Thanks, um, how's he doing? Any changes?"

"No, nothing. Maria, you remember the time I gained Max's powers. I think somehow that's what Kyle's going through." Maria suddenly turned quiet and Michael felt alarmed, even though he says he gets annoyed by her yapping. The truth of it all is that he loves to hear her voice. His Maria has the voice of an angel. Maria was beginning to scare him because she never shut up when they needed her to and now she just stood there. Maria was too busy thinking to care what was going on around her. She was worried about Kyle and the mention of Michael going crazy wasn't all that heartwarming. He had threatened to kill her and their friends and thrown her out of her Jetta. Those were not good times for them back then.

"Maria, Maria!" Michael cupped her small chin in his firm hand so that she would have to look him square in the face. She was dead to the world.

"Maria it's going to be all right, I promise." he reassured her. Ever since Alex's death, Michael had come through for her more often. Always in a crisis situation, but she loved him anyway.

"I'm fine, you should be worrying about Kyle, not me," she finally answered.

"Maria maybe Kyle is going through the same thing Liz did but in a different form. His powers are taking over."

"Let's get this ice in before it melts."

Inside the bathroom

Isabel was sitting inside the bathroom on a stool next to the bathtub. She had never been a religious person but she decided the best thing for Kyle was to pray. Since there was no way she was going to pray to Buddha, she hoped he was listening. Isabel suddenly broke out of her prayer as she noticed Kyle was levitating above the tub. She shot up immediately.

"Michael get the hell in here!" Isabel screamed from the bathroom. She was worried about Kyle before, but now she was terrified. Michael and Maria ran into the bathroom to see a very "high" Kyle.

"Holy crap." Maria was getting more creeped out by the second. Michael entered the room right behind her.

"Okay, isn't there some power you guys have that you can use bring him down?"

"No, not really" both the aliens answered.

"What the hell?" Kyle said as he awoke from his deep state of unconsciousness. "How'd I get up here?" Kyle came crashing down to the porcelain tub.

"Ow that's gotta hurt!" Michael imagined the pain that Kyle was going though at the moment. He had been levitated four feet into the air.

"What, why is everyone staring at me, and how did I get in the bathroom, why are my clothes off?" Kyle spat out question after question at his friends.

Kyle fixed his stare on Isabel. "Isabel you naughty, naughty girl! You took advantage of me!" Isabel just stood there, shocked." Next time do you mind waiting until I'm conscious?"

"Well I didn't have all that much time, you know with you levitating in the air and all." She was cut of by Michael.

"Okay, okay that's enough. I don't want to hear any more. Let's get down to business."

"Kyle how come you never mentioned you got a tattoo?" asked Isabel

"Isabel what are you talking about? What tattoo?"

"Dude, look at your shoulder in the mirror." Michael turned Kyle around forcefully, so he could see the symbol of the tattoo.

"Now when were you planning on telling us about this?" a furious Isabel snapped.

"Oh it's the newest thing glowing tattoos I had it done by this great tattoo

artist named fish-head."

"Come on Kyle cut out the bull. We all know that's no tattoo." Kyle began to sweat. The tension in the room was making the heat rise. Maria made her way up to Kyle to explain what they believed was happening.

"Kyle, welcome to the closet."

"What do you mean by that? Just cause I haven't been with a girl in a while does not mean I am gay!"

"Stop trying to make this funny! You... are an alien" Kyle took his leave into the kitchen, to grab a beer. He was about to open it.

"Kyle what do you think you are doing!" Isabel asked as she snatched the beer away from Kyle.

"Hey I was going to drink that."

"Kyle you're an alien now."

"Don't remind me."

"Like I was saying, you can't go around drinking any more. This stuff makes us go crazy. It's not like when humans drink it and they go around telling everyone they love them and pee in bushes. You've heard Max and Michael's stories. You want that to happen to you?" Isabel cried.

"Hey, chill out! It was only light beer." Kyle offered.

ring , ring , ring

"I'll get it!" Maria answered the phone, and boom, an ear chilling shriek filled the air.

"Liz gosh, my god how are you babe?"

Liz and Maria went on for god knows how long while the aliens explained to Kyle how dangerous it was to drink alcohol. Kyle thought they should be wearing police uniforms with a power point presentation to boot. Maria told Liz what was going on and that she and Max should high tail it back home.

The sun was just coming up. It was going to one of those days were everything is just so confusing. Kyle was staring up at his ceiling. He hadn't gotten a wink of sleep at all. Thoughts kept running through his brain. It was driving him crazy because they weren't ordinary thoughts...they weren't his. They were someone else's. Isabel, on the other hand, slept like a log. She always enjoyed her sleep time. It was the only communication she had with Jesse. She would deamwalk him once every night so she could stay longer. That night she kept feeling the love she felt for him and was wondering if she would have done something different if Alex was still alive. And if so, would she be married to him instead? She tried to forget because she loved Jesse.

Those were the thoughts Kyle was hearing. He knew they were Isabel's but how was he able to hear them? How? But those weren't the only thoughts that Kyle was sensing. He could sense Max and Liz. They were in town, soon they would be home. All of a sudden, he stopped sensing everyone's dreams and worries and everything for a while until he started seeing Michael and Maria's dreams. Michael was having a nightmare. He was in the forest looking for something and there was a large group of people crowded around a body. Except the people all looked familiar.

There were five of them. Nicholas, Khavar, Rath, Lonnie, Courtney, Hank, Topolsky and Pierce. And in the middle, the person they were surrounding was Maria. But behind the large group of traitors/old enemies, was Alex. He had a glow around him. Pow Kyle was kicked out of the dream. That happened all the time. He'd would start hear or feel thoughts or emotions from other people, then he'd be blocked out.

The next morning Liz rushed into her ex-boyfriend's apartment to see how he was. After her phone call with Maria, she was worried.

"Kyle, yo Kyle you here?" Liz hollered through the place waking both Isabel and Kyle up.

"Yah, right here!" Liz ran up to him and gave him a huge hug. She had a death grip on him. So tight she was depriving him from inhaling oxygen.

"Liz, I'm glad to see ya too, but Kyle can't breathe. Mind loosening that grip? Besides I don't want Max to walk in here and get the wrong idea. On second thought, come here!" He pulled her back into a hug.

"Now what in tarnation is going on? Maria called me yesterday in a panic about you turning into your worst nightmare. Care to explain?" breaking away from her embrace with worry, Kyle began. "Whoa, Liz calm down. Let's get everyone in here and then we'll figure things out." He said, guiding her toward the living room to have a seat on an inflatable, green plastic chair shaped like an alien.

"Very cute." Liz said, sitting down on the extraterrestrial memorabilia.

"I'll go get the others." Isabel walked to the door but was caught off guard by the 3 M's: Michael, Max, and Maria.

"Hey! Thought we'd crash the party." Max said as he entered the room.

"MAX!" Isabel ran up to give her brother a hug.

Michael and Isabel filled the newly wedded couple in on the details of Kyle's David Copperfield impression. There wasn't a person or alien that wasn't worried about Kyle. Maria took it the hardest. Kyle was the closest thing she had to a brother besides Alex, who obviously wasn't there anymore. He had always been there for her. One time, Liz had hooked her up on a blind date to try to help her get over Michael. When Liz and Max went off to make out, she was left alone at the beach with a guy who had a nasty reputation, even worse than Michael's. The guy tried to touch her, then Kyle appeared out of nowhere and beat the crap out of him. It was then that Maria noticed that Kyle was much more than a friend to her. He was her brother whether he was blood-related or not. Maria made her way over to the couch.

"So Kyle, how are you feeling?" She held her delicate hand up to his sweaty forehead.

"Fine." He groaned, trying not to show her that he was uncomfortable and in pain.

"Well, yesterday you had a fever and it feels like you still do. Maybe you should go lay down, just in case."

"Maria! I'm fine, now just drop it okay? You're not my keeper!" With that he got up and walked away. Maria got up to follow him, but Isabel stood in her way.

"Let him go. Maybe you should give him time to cool off. I'll talk to him."

"No!" Everyone turned their heads toward Liz.

"Isabel, I know you mean well. As much as you want to help him, if you walk in there you're just going to make things worse. The best you can do is just walk away, at least for now." Liz headed toward the room.

"It's nothing against you. It's just that I think this is a problem that we semi-humans need to handle. You coming, Maria?" Maria planted herself next to her best friend and went into Kyle's room to comfort him.

Inside Kyle's room

"Hey, I thought you could use some earthly comfort." Liz smirked.

"Look Liz, I know you're here to help, but I really just want to handle this on my own."

"No. Kyle, you need us here. We're your friends. Start at the beginning and tell us what has been happening" pleaded a distraught Maria.

"All right, it all started when I was in the bathroom getting ready to go over to your place for dinner." Kyle described each detail about his other-worldly experience.

"Then I experienced something new with dreams. I could sense what people were dreaming. Kind of like dream walking but doing it without your own knowledge of it. You have no control over what you see or when you see it. I can sense fear and other emotions. I can hear what people are thinking but only the "special" ones, you know, the aliens. I think I'm telepathic or something." Kyle finished. He told them everything. Everything but about Michael's dream. He didn't want Maria to freak out more than she was.

"Well, Kyle, are your changes hurting you? I mean, when I was going through mine, it looked as if it hurt but it didn't hurt until Max tried to heal me."

"No, they don't." With that, Maria fell to the floor in agony.

"Oh my--Maria are you all right?" Liz asked her friend, helping her up to her feet and onto Kyle's bed.

"What? Oh, I'm fine. I just didn't get much sleep last night and I felt faint." It wasn't the truth but in light of all the confusion, Liz seemed to buy it.

"Okay, as long as you are stable."

"Um Liz, could you wait outside for a moment. I need to have a little chat with Kyle here."

"Sure thing, call if ya need me." Liz joined the others.

"Okay now that Liz is gone, Kyle I need to talk to you. Something has come up." Maria had been hiding her hand behind her back the whole time and now brought it up for Kyle to see. It looked just like Liz's did when she was going through her ch-ch-changes. With one exception: hers were not only green bolts. There was also yellow, pink, red the whole kit 'n' caboodle. Kyle was officially freaked out.

"What the... how were you even healed?"

No answer.

"You weren't, were you?"

"Kyle that's not important right now. We have to figure this out."

"Look, have you or haven't you been healed by Max? Answer the question, Maria. Yes or no? It's not that complicated."

"You don't understand, it's not that easy. I just can't tell you. Don't force me. It's just better if you don't know. It's the best thing for all of us."

"Maria, I will not be left in the dark. Either you tell me the truth or I go out there and ask Max for myself. Now how about it?"

Maria remained silent. She couldn't tell him the truth. The moment she told him he would get super protective and go out there and tell Michael and together they would play hero and make sure she was never out of their sight again. She would go mad.

"Please, Kyle!" she pleaded.

"Fine!" he headed torward the door.

"Fine!" she whispered and he turned his head torward her. "If I tell you, you have got to promise

me that on your grave you won't snitch. Not Liz, not Michael...not anyone. Promise me that."

"You have my word as a Buddhist." Maria took a deep breath before telling him.

"Okay, sit down. This may take a while."

"It happened while I was in New York, yes Max healed me. I was

staying with Billy. Max was also in town that day. His father was on a business trip with Jesse. It was a male bonding thing. Well, one day, Max went out exploring. He wanted to see if he could find Rath and Lonnie and Ava. He couldn't track them down. That's when he got a call from Michael. Michael told him that I was in NYC making a CD."

"Did Michael know that Max was in the same city as you or was that just a bonus?" asked Kyle. He was getting annoyed.

"No, Max lied to him. He just told him that he was still looking for his son.

When he found out that I was there, he decided to look me up. To check up on me, I guess. While I, on the other hand, was in Billy's apartment. Only if I had known the real Billy, I never would have agreed to stay with him. He had been drunk, maybe even high." Maria tried to hold back her tears, but they squeezed their way out. She held in a sob and Kyle hugged her.

"It's okay, go on." he encouraged her.

"He...he attacked me. First he strapped my wrists together and threw me all around the apartment. He hurt me so much but I wasn't afraid for my life until he locked me in the closet and came back with a knife. I was so scared, Kyle!" she wiped her eyes. Kyle was in shock, he couldn't believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. He had met Billy and never would have even considered him to be a violent person. But if they ever crossed each other's paths again, Kyle would be the violent one. No one treated his family like that. Especially not Maria. She wasn't just some ordinary girl.

"Maria, he didn't, you know, (gulp) did he?" asked Kyle, worriedly.

"What, no! Um, he stabbed me about three times in the abdomen and then when I wouldn't give up, he pulled out his gun and shot at me. That's when Max came bursting through the door. I don't know how he knew where I was, but he found me and kicked the hell out of Billy. Without using his powers, too. I don't think I will ever see him again. Max healed me that night. And I made him promise me that he would never tell another living soul. I knew and still know that if Michael ever found out, he'd kill Billy. They SO do not need that distraction right now. So please, promise you won't tell anyone."

"Wow! I was not prepared for that."

"Yeah, neither was I."

"Maria are sure it was really Billy? I mean, couldn't it have been a shape shifter or some alien hunter that used you as bait to get to Max?"

"What do ya mean? It was Billy! Only one man could kiss me like that. Oops!" Maria slipped up. Kyle was so perturbed that he didn't hear it.

"Well with this group, I just want to make sure it was him. I met the guy. He didn't seem to be that type of person. So before we jump to conclusions, let's make sure Billy is Billy."

"All right, you're right! It could have been a shape shifter."

"Come on, let's get out and join the others before they come barging in. Here." He said as he handed her a kleenex. "Don't want anyone getting suspicious."

Minutes later, they reopened the door.

"Hey what took you so long?" asked Isabel, obviously annoyed.

"Oh we just had to clear up a few things, that's all." Maria gave him thankful look. It was clear to her now that he wasn't going to tattle on her.

"Kyle, how are you feeling? I'm not trying to be a nag, but I am worried" offered Liz.

"What? Do I look like a six-year-old." he threw back at her.

"Well someone sure is acting like one." shot Isabel.

"Maybe someone needs a nap."

"Shut up, Isabel." everyone yelled.

"Maybe you all need nappy time. You are all cranky."

"It's getting late. Let's all go home and get some rest and we'll figure out what to do tomorrow. You know, start fresh. Goodnight everyone." Max said before leaving. He winked at Liz and smirked. That was the signal for _I hope you have enough energy to meet my needs_.

Tomorrow they would figure this whole thing out. Tomorrow.

Once again, Kyle had a sleepless night. All of his worries were centered on Maria. He was enraged by the things Billy had done to her. He also prayed to Buddha that he be right about his suspicions; Billy was a shape shifter. But why would a shape shifter be interested in Maria? And how was he going to keep something like this from the others? Sweat was pouring down Kyle's face. He felt as though his body was on fire, so he decided to take a long, cold shower to settle his nerves. In Maria's bedroom, Maria was also having trouble sleeping. She hated it when Michael kept things from her, and here she was, keeping a life or death matter away from him. She was also worried about Kyle. Poor Kyle was going through so much pain and there was nothing he could do about it. Not to mention, Kyle had a lot to carry on his shoulders and she added more baggage to his burden. Maria turned her head to take a gander at her alien lover who, by the way, wasn't helping her sleep any better by snoring like a sick donkey.

"Oh my God! Someone put him out of his misery! He's loud. I'll bet Liz doesn't have this problem." She thought it must be an alien thing, or just a Michael thing. "Well, since I can't sleep, I may as well take a walk." She got out of bed, got dressed and headed out the door.

"Aww! What a beautiful night. I'm glad I came out." She loved the fresh air of the city in early morning. But little did Maria know that, as she was enjoying the fresh breeze, someone else was enjoying the sight of her presence, all by herself. Maria closed her eyes for a moment.

Flash A lurking shadow followed her.

"What the heck was that?" She asked herself, catching her breath as she ran back home as fast as her small feet would carry her. She slammed the door behind her and locked it. The sound of the door awoke Michael from his peace-disturbing slumber.

"Hey! Where'd ya go, Blondie?" Michael appeared from behind her.

"What the?" She panicked, and kicked Michael in the groin.

"Oh, Michael, Don't scare me like that!" She yelled with fright.

Michael noticed the shakiness in her voice. "What's wrong, you're sweating, are you all right?" He asked with deep concern in his tone.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"No, you're not. Don't lie to me!" Michael's eyes flamed with rage.

"No, really I just kinda spooked myself out there." She lied.

"What time is it?" Michael looked at the clock above the counter. "It's past 4 am, what were you doing out at this hour?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk. C'mon, let's go to bed." Maria could tell Michael was worried, so she worked up a little white lie. "Oh Michael don't worry, here's the truth, I'm just a little on edge after watching 'The Ring' a few nights ago." Maria changed back into her PJ's. Michael knew that she was lying to him. He didn't know why or what it was about, but he'd find out sooner or later, since Maria couldn't resist his persistence for long. He thought about nagging it out of her, but it was pointless. Maria finally fell a sleep around 6 am curled into the fetal position next to Michael.

The next morning, everyone arrived at Kyle's house as planed. They gathered in the living room and Isabel served coffee.

"Alright Lizzy-pooh, would you take notes for..." Max looked up to find his sister and friends laughing at him. "What?" He asked the room of giggling friends.

They all answered, "Lizzy-pooh!" and Max blushed.

"Anyway, Kyle, here's the thing. I think it's best if we see how far your powers will expand. We could teach you how to use them. Don't worry, I mean, we're not even sure if you can use them yet." Max got this experimental look in his eyes, like he was about to take apart a Buick to see how it runs. This set fear in Kyle's mind.

"Look, now that I been pulled into this alien abyss, just leave me alone and let me figure this out by myself." Kyle snapped.

"Don't go all Michael on us, Kyle!"

"Kyle, don't get upset, okay? Look at Liz, her powers come and go, and maybe yours will do the same thing. We just want to be positive, K?" Isabel rubbed his back to try and help him calm down. Max placed a small, yet heavy, rock on the table in front of him.

"Okay, now try to levitate it." Max ordered, showing his leader-like side.

"I'll try, but there's no guarantee. Just one question." Kyle scratched his head.

"What's that?" Max was annoyed.

"I don't even know how to use these cursed powers of mine."

"Well, here, let us teach you how to use them, then control them. You need to get your powers in check before we unleash you into public." Isabel teased.

After 3 hours of intense training, Kyle learned how to use his powers. He finally got it, but he still struggled, as Michael had for so long. (Growl) "I'm never going to get this." Kyle whined. Liz was impressed that Kyle could complain almost as well as she could.

"Oh Kyle, don't say that. Would you like some cheese with your whine?" Maria joked, encouragingly.

"Kyle, you must be patient. This is just like when you went through puberty. Speaking of which, I recall a time about six years go when you were staring a bit too intently at Isabel. Remember when you had to set your books upon Kyle Jr. to hide your excitement? Then you..." Liz was interrupted by Kyle's voice.

"Whoa, whoa, hold it! This is more serious than strange bodily functions to me. Picture this: me walking though a department store, children screaming as my body emits green light, kids' heads exploding as I walk through the building, unable to control myself." He explained.

"Kyle, stop! Maybe comparing this to your puberty experiences was a little overkill." Isabel added sarcastically.

"Since your alien powers come and go, and we have no idea what's in store for you. Perhaps you should take a notebook and write down any Czechoslovakian things you think you might be experiencing. Then we'll know for sure what's going on here and figure out how to deal with it." Max went about this very professionally.

"It'll be sooo cool. I wanna know what powers you have. Kyle, it's just like a wonder ball. You never know what's inside until you open it up." Michael popped in.

"Oh I wonder wonder what's in a wonder ball!" Maria sang the chorus to the wonder ball commercial. "Mmmm...chocolate."

Kyle gets another flash of Michael's dream Everyone's standing around Maria's body. We see Alex glow a deep white. Suddenly the enemy vanishes.

"Kyle, Kyle, are you okay? Kyle!" Maria started shaking Kyle's shoulders. Kyle swooshed back into reality, to see all of his friends looking at him with concern. "Huh, oh I'm fine, I haven't been able to sleep the past few days." He replied groggily. "What, afraid of growing fangs?" Kyle just smirked at Isabel's comment.

"Hopefully they'll be as sharp as yours, Isabel. Although, your teeth are in need of a brushing." He finished his sly quip, but then he quickly returned his view to Maria. He just couldn't look at Isabel at the moment, after what Liz had just shared about him and his puberty. Maria was his safe base.

"So Liz, what are you and Max up to tonight?" Maria asked her best friends, trying to divert the attention away from Kyle. "Oh, you know, probably staying home. We still got a lot of stuff to unpack, as we all do." She somewhat lied. Yes it was true that she was going to unpack. Unpack her sexy bedroom teddy for a very good reason... so she and Max could do a little mattress dancing. After all, they are newlyweds.

"Oh, yeah we all have a lot of unpacking to do yet. How's your unpacking going, Iz?" Maria asked. "Oh it's coming along. Although I will say this, I love being an alien when it comes to packing and unpacking." Isabel wiggled her finger. Having alien powers really helped her in moving things, especially when she didn't want to ruin her freshly polished fingernails. All she had to do was sit back and point her finger.

"Well, I guess one more day of procrastinating won't hurt anyone, will it? Come on, Liz. Let's just sit back and relax. We could order a pizza and watch a movie or play a game, whatcha say?" Max asked the group of outcasts. He was in a sunny mood, almost perky. He wanted to enjoy the time he had with his friends. The past few years had been really hard on him, as it had been for everyone else. But if he were totally honest with himself, he wouldn't change his life one bit. They were finally home, done with running from shape shifters, skins, FBI agents and whatever else was running amok in this world.

"Max, is something on your mind? You're not normally this pleasant in a crisis." Remarked Isabel. Max always got on everyone's nerves when danger was near them and here he was, Mr. Chill, waning to hang back and relax. That wasn't like him, he was Mr. Serious. He was even on edge when Timmy fell down the well in a Lassie rerun. "Maybe this isn't a threat." Isabel thought to herself. "Maybe Kyle turning into one of us isn't so bad." She now understood why Max was so calm. She was glad that her brother had finally found peace.

"No it's nothing, come on! Pizza's on me." Max reached for the phone and called pizza planet. Later, when the pizza had arrived, Max paid the pizza guy and satisfied him with a decent tip.

"Max, you do realize that you tipped him 35? Why don't you just hand him your wallet? We need to watch our finances now!" Liz hit Max in the arm and sat on the couch. Isabel smiled at this little fight. It was their first. It reminded her of Jessie. Oh how she missed him!

"So who's up for some shower scene from How to Lose a Guy in 10 days?" Asked Kyle. He just couldn't get enough of it. _Some people are just sickening._ Isabel thought.

"Kyle, how many times is it now that you've actually seen that movie since yesterday, five times? It's not even that good. Get over it, buddy." Michael was annoyed. He couldn't believe how pig headed Kyle was. He was worse than Michael was. And coming from him, that was one heck of an insult.

"Hey, don't diss the shower scene!" Kyle defended, hugging his pillow.

"Kyle, get a life." Everyone yelled in unison.

That night, Kyle forced everyone to watch How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days yet again. As the night rolled on, everyone grew to the point of leaving Michael's and going home to unpack their stuff.

"That's it! I'd rather watch Bozo the clown than this movie again. Kyle, stop rewinding the tape to the shower scene and go bathe, relive the memories in the comforts of your own tub!" Maria shouted.

At Isabel and Kyle's place, Kyle hadn't brought that much stuff to his new home, so it didn't take that long for him to unpack. Isabel, on the other hand, had brought enough stuff for ten armies, most of it clothes. Kyle reclined in front of the television. He sat there thinking about what he should do. Michael's dream was disturbing, but what could he do about it? He got out his journal to record his experiences from the past night. Maybe he would tell Max or Isabel. He couldn't very well tell Maria because it was about her and he couldn't tell Michael for he was the one who had the dream. Then there was Liz, but Liz was best friends with Maria. She'd squeal on him. Then he took a second to think. He couldn't tell Max; he was married to Maria's best friend. He couldn't force Max to keep something like this from own wife. Isabel was the only one he could turn to... again. But could she keep a secret away from her brother? This was going nowhere. He wished his dad were around. He really needed him right now.

"Kyle, how do you like the room?" Isabel asked, taking a seat next to him on the sofa. She had spent the majority of the day decorating the place with her finger. It took her a long time, even with her powers. The walls were pink, with flowered border. She figured Kyle would object to the feminine living room.

"Oh, it's nice." Kyle didn't bother noticing the girly walls or the lip shaped couch he was sitting on. Isabel knew something was direly wrong with him. Either he was having trouble coping with something, or he and Christopher Lowell had become best friends. She knew he was going to lie if she asked what was wrong, she could see right through him. The funny thing about Kyle is that you can read him like an open book, even if you don't like what you're reading.

"Kyle, if you're worried about your nonhuman status, don't freak out. Really, what's so wrong about turning into one of us?" She asked trying to stay calm and considerate.

"Look, Isabel." Kyle began. He suddenly jumped at the sight of Isabel's face looking like it came right out of The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

"You get an instant Halloween costume with a snap of your finger, or a click of the heels if you like, Dorothy." Isabel tried to humor Kyle, but he seemed uneasy at this gesture.

"I'm over that identity crisis thing now. You see, here it is. Can you keep a secret? I mean you can't tell Max, Michael, anyone, especially not Maria. There's not enough cedar oil in the world to repair her if she finds out. Can you keep it on the down-low?" Isabel nodded her head up and down after transforming into her old self. "All right, let me start from the beginning." He told her everything he had experienced the previous night. Everything, that is, except the whole Maria and Billy in NYC thing.

Later that night, in Maria and Michael's house, it was nearing midnight and they had finished unpacking everything, but it was laying out everywhere with things scattered from here to there. Maria was cooking dinner, which was a scary thought. She was wearing a "Kiss the Cook" apron. She not being the best cook was the understatement of the century, but she wanted to give Michael a break since he had looked so tired the past few days. He was lying down in the bedroom watching the hockey game. She loved Michael and she felt so bad about how she had treated him the past few months. Dinner was almost ready. She pulled it out of the oven. "Wow!" She thought. "I didn't burn it." It was a frozen casserole she had bought from the grocery store. She took out two paper plates and served some pop and walked into the bedroom to find the TV off and the room lit in candles with soft music orchestrating in the background.

"Hey there, hungry Spaceboy." She set the drinks and casserole on the dresser.

"You bet, but not for what you would assume." He said, giving Maria a deep and passionate kiss. She returned the smooch, and laced her fingers through his long wavy hair.

"You're horrible, you know that? I tire myself out by cooking and you don't even take a bite of this delicious food." She said grabbing a forkful of casserole and holding it up to him so he could take a bite. "You just take advantage of a poor defenseless damsel." She teased, playfully.

"You're anything but defenseless. That's one heck of an arm you've got there. I know I've been smacked with it more times than I care to remember." With that remark he earned himself a playful swat and, in return, he pinned her to the bed. He was on top of her, so she couldn't free herself, with his hand clenched around her small wrist. She giggled through the whole experience. "Hmm, kiss the cook? I don't mind if I do." He went to kiss her. As their kiss lingered, Maria received a flash, but she didn't know that it was a flash at the time or if it had come from Michael. She gasped for air and pushed Michael off her.

Flash Her body was surrounded by Courtney, Nicholas, Khivar, Pierce, Vilandra, Rath, Zan, Ava, Alex and Tess on each side of her, with sad expressions on their faces. Tess and Alex were having a conversation. But she couldn't make out what they were saying. End of flash

"What the hell was that?" She asked, more to herself than anyone else. Maria stared at Michael.

"What's wrong? You're no stranger to my better half!" he chuckled, getting off of her.

"I saw a flash, I think. Michael it was horrible." He knew what she had seen right away. He wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.

"It's okay, shhh." He told her. "Maria, I have a confession to make, well let me ask this first. The flash you just had, was it of you with old friends and enemies standing around you, was that it?" He asked.

"How'd you know?" "Because that's a nightmare I've been having lately." He said with a touch of sadness in his voice. He wanted to hurt himself for letting her see such a horrible thing.

"That must be what has been upsetting him the past few days." Maria thought to herself. "Oh it's okay, Michael. I'm not going anywhere." She hugged him. While in Max and Liz's apartment, they were having a little too much "fun," if you know what I mean. That night, Michael was cursed with the same nightmare he had had every night for a week. He was standing behind a group of familiar faces that surrounded his earth girl. But this time he could make out what Alex and Tess were discussing.

Dream "We were too late, we failed." Alex ceded a tear.

"We did what we could, it's not our fault. He didn't understand." Tess put an arm around Alex.

"She was my friend, she didn't deserve this. It's all because of him." Alex replied as he and Tess turned to come face to face with Billy, who had blood smeared all over him. End of dream

Michael shot up out of bed. He didn't know how much longer he could take these dreams. He looked to his left to find a peaceful sleeping Maria. Sometimes he found it hard to believe at how sweet and innocent she looked when sleeping, but that would all end when she awoke and opened her mouth. Michael silently slipped out of bed and walked into the kitchen where the phone was. He called Max. Ring Ring Ring Ring "Come on and pick up the phone already." He yelled in frustration. Ring With five rings, Michael was about to give up when...

"Hello!" an exhausted Max answered.

"Hey Max, I need to talk to you ASAP." Michael tapped his foot cause he was getting impatient.

"Michael, can't this wait 'til morning?" Max was annoyed. They left Roswell to get away from all their worries. And now, even after they are in a new place, he still acted as thought they're being watched every minute of the day.

"No, no it can't. Meet me on the roof in 15 minutes. He hung up. Max just stared at the phone in his hand. Some things never change. He got up without disturbing Liz from her peaceful state and headed up to the roof.

"All right, what's this all about, Michael?" Max asked him. "You know, Michael, I need 8 hours of beauty sleep, my skin needs to radiate. Does it look like it's radiating to you?"

"Come on, Max this is serious. Anyway, for that soft alien glow, try that new Neutrogena moisturizer that Maria raves about all the time." Max stood there in his "thinker" pose and considered Michael's advice. "Speaking of Maria... Max, something is going to happen, something big, I can feel it. I keep having these dreams, they are haunting me. It starts out that I'm looking at a group of people that look all so familiar and then it his me." Michael explained to Max. Max was beginning to understand why Michael was so upset. He just got Maria back and if these dreams were real, he could lose her again.

"Michael, let's not lose our heads here. Maybe these dreams are just a subconscious fear. You finally melt the ice with Maria and your fear of losing her." He explained. He knew Michael better than anyone, next to Maria, that is. But the point is, Michael was the "take action" kind of guy and, if Max didn't think of something fast, Michael would take charge of the situation and screw it up big time.

"If that's true, then why did Billy appear? I mean, I don't fear losing Maria to him anymore. I don't think so anymore." Michael lied. Of course he feared Billy. "It's all so strange." Michael dropped his head into his hands and sighed.

"Take it from me, don't worry. We'll figure something out. Now can we please go home and get some sleep?" He followed Michael to the door. "But if it makes you feel better, maybe we should both keep an eye out for Maria and everyone else. When she's not with you, I'll have my eye on her."

"Thanks, Maxwell. I knew I could count on you."

"No problem. Oh, and Michael, let's keep this between you and me. I don't want anyone panicking." With that, they departed to their rooms for a solemn night of sleep.

THE NEXT DAY

In Max's apartment, Isabel was helping her brother move in.

"So, where do you want this butt-ugly picture, Liz?" Asked Isabel, holding up a picture of Dogs playing poker.

"Liz do you have any taste whatsoever?"

"Hey, I happen to like that picture." Liz said, placing her hands on her hips.

"Liz, marriage is starting to take its evil toll on you! This is getting us nowhere." Isabel complained. While back at Michael's, Maria had just finished stocking the kitchen up. Michael had had his eyes on her all day, which made her uncomfortable. He wouldn't let her out of his sight.

"Michael, what is your problem?" Maria asked staring to get annoyed.

"What do you mean?" He asked, while really knowing that Maria didn't want to feel like a showcase on The Price is Right.

"You know exactly what I mean; I don't want to deal with this right now. I'm going out." She walked off toward the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked her as he pulled her back into the apartment.

"I'm just going out to get the mail. Chill out. I'm not a china doll." What is up with him? She thought. Out at the mailbox, Maria had gotten three letters from her mom and one from Kyle's dad. They sent all their letters to various people and places until no one could track where they came from or where they were going to. Along with the four letters and bills mixed into the mail, nothing else came. How the heck are we going to pay these off? She thought quietly. Michael had gotten a job at the local cheese factory and that didn't bring in much revenue for the house. Maria, on the other hand, held choir lessons at the church, which, considering the job, brought in a decent amount. Maria entered the apartment to find Kyle sprawled out on her couch.

"Hey there, country boy, don't ya have a place of your own?" Maria asked walking up behind Kyle.

"Yeah, well, you know, Isabel went to help her brother." Kyle grinned.

"So she took away the keys so you couldn't snoop through her underwear drawer. That's understandable." Maria giggled, then sighed.

"What's wrong, sis?" He snickered and ripped a big fart. "You look a little fumed!" He added "Kyle, you're impossible." She responded, covering her nose.

"Hey, what's going on in here? Eww! What died?" Michael entered the room and gagged. "Apparently Kyle had beans again." Maria said.

"Oh, Kyle, Isabel just called. She said that she was done over at Max's and wants you home like, yesterday." He reported.

"Really, well, gotta get home to the little lady." Kyle nodded and headed out the door. "You know, this place sure is starting to look like a home."

"But it smells like a kennel. Next time you come over, we'll be armed with Lysol and pooper scoopers!" "Bye Kyle!" Maria scooted him out the door. After he was well out of earshot, she turned to Michael.

"Did Isabel really call?" She asked.

"Technically, no." He simply added. She just smiled at his childish behavior.

"Michael...I know at first I wasn't sure about us moving in with each other, but I'm really glad we did." She smiled. She was just so happy lately...

"Come on Spaceboy! Time for some grooming." Maria dragged Michael to the closet in their bedroom.

"Why, are we going somewhere?" Michael asked.

"Oh, my God." Maria raved, she couldn't believe Michael forgot that they were going to the new Salsa club.

"Tell me you didn't forget, please!" Michael just shrugged his shoulders. "Oh Michael." she sighed, Michael instantly felt guilty.

"What is it, it's not your birthday, it's not our anniversary, is it?" Maria nodded no.

"No Michael, it isn't. When is our anniversary, dearie?" Maria cleared her throat.

"Um, um of course I know when it is."

"Then when is it, because it's not today." Maria steamed. She could not believe this, how she can be so light on her feet with him and then all of sudden to come crashing down.

"Relax, my little pixie." Michael kissed her on the check. "I know you've been looking forward to this night on the town. So, my little Salsa club gold digger, why don't you go get ready? I can handle myself, you know, now that I've been upgraded to pull-ups training pants." He pushed her out of the room. Maria was always babying him.

Maria walked into the bathroom connected to their room. She took out her make-up bag, which had little green aliens on it with little pink and red hearts. It was a remnant from her mother's awful alien scam. Maria had chosen a black modern sundress with white daisies on the front. Michael always said she looked sexy in black. Of course, he said she looked sexy in her birthday suit but that didn't mean she was going to wear it out.

"Alrighty then," She said looking though her makeup bag. "Which color would go best? Fire red, brick red, flower bud, burgundy or...? Here it is! A rose pink, perfect." She applied the lipstick. She checked her reflection in the mirror.

"What on earth am I going to do with this hair of mine? Where's Isabel when you really need her?" He talked to herself as she plugged her curling iron in. When the iron was warmed up, she went to pick it up, but it wasn't where she set it.

"What the heck, where'd it go?" Maria looked up to find the curling iron floating above her head, along with all her makeup that had spilled out of her bag and now floating in the air. Maria began to panic.

"Michael!" she screamed. She gave new meaning to the saying "scared stiff." Michael rushed into the room seconds later.

"What the hell?" He said as he took in the scenery around him. He looked down at Maria to find her holding her hands tight against her chest. "Maria let me see." He said grabbing her hands. He couldn't believe it when he saw it. This isn't happening. He thought. It couldn't be, Maria had never been healed, had she? He gazed at her hands that flashed lightening rods of all colors. It reminded him of Liz's but much more extravagant.

"We gotta talk." He said. She nodded. He just sat there now. His presence alone would bring some comfort to her.

"Michael please don't tell Max. Please." She pleaded.

"What! Why not? He could help." He asked in an angry tone.

"NO!" She wiped her hands away from his faster that the speed of light. "Michael, ever since Kyle came forward about his new found ability, Max has been treating him like a lab experiment. It's like he's gone from Dr. Jekyl to Mr. Hyde and he hurt Liz so much when he tried to help her. I don't want to go though that!"

"It's going to be okay, shh." He comforted her. "Maria when did you ever get healed?" he asked.

"It was...I mean, I haven't."

"Maria." He said in a stern tone.

"Michael I can't."

"Maria please, tell me how can I help you."

"If you really want to help here what you really should do.."

(TBC)


End file.
